China is set to launch the Jiu Tan, a new drone-carrying mothership capable of deploying 100 kamikaze drones simultaneously.

Developed by Shaanxi Unmanned Equipment Technology, the aircraft has a 25-meter wingspan, 12-hour flight time, and 7,000 km range.

It can carry six tons of equipment, including cruise and air-to-air missiles.

Designed to evade radar and overwhelm defenses, it could play a major role in a China-Taiwan conflict.

The Jiu Tan aims to rival U.S. drones like the RQ-4 Global Hawk and MQ-9 Reaper, which lack swarm-launch capability, The Telegraph has reported.

A test flight is planned for next month.

Written by B.C. Begley